MANY people love to eat food baked in the oven. But only a few can afford to buy the expensive ovens sold in supermarkets and other specialised markets.

Such individuals can still enjoy baked food by using the earth ovens. Mother Earth News which prides itself as the original guide to living wisely provided some tips on how to build earth ovens.

Build the Stand

The first step in building an earth oven is to build a firm base for it. Ensure that keep it level and build the structure up to a comfortable working height for cooking. After this, you should prepare a solid floor for your oven. This floor must have a smooth surface. Mark the center of the oven and make it as large as possible.

Draw two circles of about three or four inches inside the first, to show the thickness of the walls. Sift the clay to remove pebbles and debris if you dug your clay from the ground.. Lay a big tarp on the ground and mix your clay. This is best done with bare feet.

When you are through with this step, you should add sharp sand (about a bucketful) and some water if the clay is very dry. Note that the mixing takes time and effort. Test the clay to see whether it is ready to work with. If it is, then make a clay sausage.

Hold it with half in your palm and the other half dangling over your hand. If the clay bends but doesn’t break, it’s ready to use.

Make the Oven Base and Walls

To make the oven base and walls, you should roll out a circular layer 1/2-inch thick on the internal circle of the base. Trim the edges with a trowel. Wet the clay, then smooth it with your hands.

This will serve as a smooth base for sliding whatever’s being cooked in and out of the oven. Cover the circle with a layer of moist newspaper to stop any sand from sticking to it.

The next thing is to is to pile on moist sand and sculpt the shape of the earth oven, making a dome that is a few inches taller than the internal radius of the oven.

Measure the height of the sand dome, which will be the interior height of your oven. Multiply this by 0.63 to get the height of the door. Cover the sand dome with wet newspaper to stop the clay from sticking to it. Shape the clay into sausages, then flatten and squash them into place.

Start at the base and work around and up, to cover the dome. Use the width of your hand as a rough measurement: the layer of clay should be around 3 to 4 inches thick.

Try to push the clay against itself, not against the mound of sand, as you add each piece. Cover the entire dome with clay, making sure it is still the same thickness at the top as the bottom. Wet your hands and smooth the surface of the finished dome. To be concluded.